D L 

AH 



r %>«S%>«%.«3>><-^<f£, -£|J 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



04 

4 



has { 






-^8^ • .Ai .1 



UNITED STATES OE AMERICA, f 



i^- 




STiageraJc 



SIX WEEKS 



NORWAY 






BY 



V 



E. L. ANDERSON, 

Author of " Northern Ballads." 






CINCINNATI: 
ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 

1877. 




COPYRIGHT. 

E. L. ANDERSON. 

1877. 



*$. 



TO 



CONSUL GERHARD GADE, 



CHRISTIANIAo 



CONTENTS. 

Chapter Page 

i. Copenhagen to Christiania. . . .7 

2. Christiania to Throndhjem. . . • 17 

3. Throndhjem to Aak 33 

4. Aak to Bergen. . • * . . .44 

5. Bergen to Christiania. . . . .58 
Conclusion- 73 



SIX WEEKS IN NORWAY. 



CHAPTER I. 

FROM COPENHAGEN TO CHUISTIANIA. 

OF the various routes by which the traveler 
may reach Norway, that which lies through 
Copenhagen is to be preferred, for the voyage to* 
Christiania, from whence a tour of the country 
should begin, is of only twenty hours' duration, 
while the line of steamers from Hull, large and 
stanch vessels, spend three or four days in those 
rough northern seas. I confess that my expe- 
rience of the route here recommended was not 
a pleasant one, but, since I passed over it, the 
large and swift ship "Christiania" has been 



8 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

put upon the line, and the miseries of the Skage- 
rack have been alleviated. 

At noon of the 9th day of July, 1875, my wife 
and I found ourselves upon the little steamship 
"Aarhuus," gliding out of the harbor of Copen- 
hagen. For some hours we coasted close to the 
eastern shore., of Seeland, which presented a 
thickly-settled but rather uninteresting country. 
About four o'clock we passed Elsinore, with its 
picturesque castle, fondly believed in by all tour- 
ists to be the scene of Shakespeare's Hamlet. 
From this point the strait widens, and is known 
as the Cattegat. Here, in the winter months, is 
felt the force of the storms sweeping from the 
north, making these waters exceedingly danger- 
ous to the small vessels that venture upon them. 
Indeed, although it was midsummer, we did not 
find the sea very quiet. My wife sought refuge 
in the small cabin set apart for the ladies, while 
I, unable to remain in the close and crowded sa- 
loon, lay down upon the hard deck. The clouds, 
that had long been threatening, poured down 
upon us in a cold rain, and the "Aarhuus" began 



COPENHAGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 9 

the most singular acrobatic performances, doing 
everything but complete somersaults. The ves- 
sel was crowded with passengers, most of whom 
had followed my example in coming upon deck 
to be ill. 

We experienced a slight relief about mid- 
night, when we stopped at Gothenburg ; but 
when we were well out in the Skagerack, the 
motions of the vessel and our discomforts were 
increased. Daylight brought no change, except 
the satisfaction of beholding the sufferings of 
each other. The day wore away, and about four 
o'clock the gentleman who was ill at the bow, 
called out the joyful news that land was in view. 

Before us were the green hills of Norway, 
growing into bare peaks in the distance. Against 
a rocky barrier, that defended the coast, the 
mad sea raged and rushed, breaking into col- 
umns of spray, and falling back in sheets of foam. 
At the extremity of a shallow bay, the little town 
of Laurvig, with its red -tiled roofs, lay smiling at 
the threatening ocean. 

We remained at Laurvig long enough for a 



IO SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

sea-conquered viking to drag himself on to the 
pier, and then once more into the Skagerack. 
But only for a short time ; for, passing a point 
of land, and steaming between two dangerous 
looking rocks, we entered Christiania fiord, and 
were once more in smooth water. 

It was now six o'clock, but it was still broad, 
glaring daylight ; for the storm had ceased^ and 
the clouds had been dissipated by the warm sun. 
Christiania fiord has none of the characteristics 
that have made the western bays of Norway cel- 
ebrated for their grandeur of scenery, but pre- 
sents, notwithstanding, many beautiful views, 
reminding the American of the., upper Hudson. 
Many bold islands, some of them inhabited, ap- 
pear as we advance, and these give a charm that 
is wanting to our river. 

It was midnight when we reached Christiania, 
but there was still light enough to see the vessels 
in the harbor, and to admire the old fortress of 
Akershuus, that pretends to guard the town. 
Civil customs-officers hurriedly examined our 
luggage, and a short walk through the deserted 



COPENHAGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. II 

streets brought us to the Victoria Hotel, one of 
the best inns in Northern Europe. 

Christiania is a well-built city, beautifully sit- 
uated about the head of the fiord, seventy miles 
from the sea, and, it is asserted, has a population 
of 80,000 souls. It is the first commercial port 
of *Norway, and supplies nearly the whole of the 
southern part of the country with foreign im- 
ports. The harbor is without a rival, and the 
flags of all nations may be seen upon the ship- 
ping. Many of the public edifices are of impos- 
ing appearance, and the residences in the suburbs 
exhibit taste and wealth. The hills in the vicin- 
ity furnish many pleasing prospects, and the 
roads are excellent. Three miles from the city 
rises Frognersceter, from whence an extended and 
varied view may be had. The city, the silver 
fiord dotted with islands, the pine-clad hills, 
and the distant peaks, with their snowy caps, 
are presented to the eye. Overlooking the fiord, 
and in a setting of emerald trees, is Oscar's Hall, 
a summer palace of the king. Here may be seen 
some of the master-pieces of Norwegian paint- 



1 2 SIX WEEKS J IV NOR WA T. 

ers, landscapes by Gude, and pictures of peasant 
life by Tidemand. 

During the morning of our arrival, I called 
upon Mr. Gerhard' Gade, consul for the United 
States, and found him ready to give us every as- 
sistance in preparing for our journey. I can not 
express our obligations to this gentleman for his 
attentions and kindness, and it was at his de- 
lightful country-house, "Frogner," that we first 
learned that northern hospitality does not partake 
of the coldness of the climate. 

I learned from Mr. Gade that the roads had 
been so greatly improved of late years, that 
upon all the main routes, and indeed wherever 
wheeled vehicles could be used at all, a light 
carriage might be substituted for the inconven- 
ient and wearying two-wheeled carriole men- 
tioned in the guide-book. This was a very 
agreeable piece of information, for I had looked 
with dread upon the long rides, day after day, 
in a seat that gives no support to the back. 
I found that the carriole is still used by the En- 
glish, who do not believe in innovations, and who 



COPENHAGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 13 

pride themselves upon following the customs of a 
country, even at the expense of comfort ; but for 
the natives who can afford to travel in a more 
luxurious manner, it is a thing of the past. So 
far from the carriole being a necessity, it is even 
proposed that a diligence shall be run next year 
between Christiania and Throndhjem, crossing 
the Dovre-field over one of the heaviest roads in 
the country. 

There are few railroad lines at present in op- 
eration in Norway, but the system of posting has 
been brought almost to perfection. At points 
seven miles apart, or as near that distance from 
each other as is practicable, posting-houses have 
been established, where the traveler may obtain 
fresh horses and lodging, if he require it, at 
prices* fixed by the local government. These 
stations are, for the most part, the homes of the 
farmers, and the accommodations, as might be 
expected, are .of a primitive character, but they 
are the best that the country can afford, and the 
guest is always sure of civility and attention. 
The Norwegian peasant — and except on the coast 



H SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

there are few towns — is proud of his ancestry 
and of his hard-won freedom, but, unless his dig- 
nity is touched, he is the most polite and hospita- 
ble of mortals. 

It is necessary for the tourist in Norway to 
have a courier who understands the language, 
and, as competent guides can be found in Chris- 
tiania, I advise the traveler to procure one after 
he arrives in the country. I believe that all 
Norwegians are thoroughly honest, even to the 
couriers, and I heartily recommend Matthias 
Johanssen, of Christiania,- as a most capable, 
energetic, and trustworthy man. Indeed, I can 
hardly imagine a stranger seeing Norway to the 
greatest advantage without having the ready 
and well-informed Johanssen at his side, and 
under his care there are no discomforts. 

We spent a week pleasantly in Christiania, and 
the evening before we were to take our departure 
for the country, Johanssen called us down into the 
court yard of the hotel to examine the prepara- 
tions for our journey, for which he alone was re- 
sponsible. We found a light caleche carriage, 



COPENHAGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 15 

closely packed with preserved meats, crackers, 
etc., while an ingenious contrivance, pendant 
from the dash-board, held a dozen smaU bottles 
of Bordeaux wine. My fears in regard to the 
safety of these latter fragile goods were set at 
rest when Johanssen assured me that Norwegian 
horses would not kick. A board fastened to the 
rear axle was intended for the single trunk that 
we were to carry. 

After the inspection, the carriage, thus richly 
laden, was taken and placed upon an open plat- 
form car, where it remained undisturbed through- 
out the nip-lit. Not an article was missing in the 
morning. And I may as well state here that it 
was our custom, to leave our property in the car- 
riage, as it stood by the roadside, night after 
night, at the inn door, and our faith in the hon- 
esty of the people was never shaken. 

We had determined that the first division of 
our journey should be through Gudbrandsdalen, 
over the Dovre-field to Throndhjem, and we were 
to take advantage of the railroad as far as Eids- 



1 6 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

void, at the foot of Miosen lake, a distance of 
about thirty miles. As we were to make an 
early start, we bade our adieux, and went to rest 
long before the summer day was over. 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 17 



CHAPTER IL 

FROM CHRISTIANIA OVER THE DOVRE-FIELD TO 
THRONDHJEM. 

\ T seven o'clock on the morning of July 
-CjL 18th, we took the train for Eidsvold, at 
the terminus of the road, and accomplished the 
journey in three hours. Near at hand, the pretty 
little steamer "King Oscar" lay in the Vormen 
river, ready to take us to Lillehamar, at the 
head of Lake Miosen. 

Johanssen had our carriage placed on the fore- 
deck, while we, under the "grateful shade" of 
an awning, rested on the quarter-deck, happy in 
our anticipations of a novel tour. With a bear- 
ing that would have been becoming in the cap- 



1 8 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

tain of a first-class man-of-war, the master of the 
"Oscar" gave orders to cast off, and we rapidly 
slipped out of the river into the lake. Miosen is 
a beautiful sheet of water, seventy miles in 
length, the greatest breadth being but ten miles. 
The hills on the lower part are precipitous, and 
Skreibjerget, on the western shore, is a mountain 
of the respectable height of 2,200 feet. As we 
proceed north, the hillsides are less steep, and 
are dotted with fields of grain and pasture. At 
the widest part of the lake, about midway, is the 
island of Helgo, a splendid farm, and formerly 
the estate of one of the wealthy nobles. 

Four arches of the ancient cathedral, built in the 
year 1152 by the bishop, who was afterward Pope 
Hadrian IV, have a commanding position on a 
point of land running into the lake from the site 
of ancient Hamar, and show that a splendid edi- 
fice once occupied the site. After passing the 
island of Helgo, the lake narrows to a uniform 
width of about two miles, until it meets the river 
Laagen at Lillehamar. While we were on the 
latter part of the journey, the master of the vessel 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 19 

approached me, and in very good English asked 
me if I knew General So and So, or Colonel 
Blank, or Major Ditto, and seemed very much 
disappointed that I did not have the honor of an 
acquaintance with any of these heroes, who, he 
assured me, were fellow-countrymen of mine. 
It turned out that the skipper's hobby was the 
collection of visiting cards ; and as every Amer- 
ican who travels abroad takes a title, if he may 
by chance lay any claim to one, he had a very 
pretty collection of the names of the Ameri- 
can nobility. I think that he threw my card, 
which had simply the prefix of "Mr.," into the 
lake. 

Lillehamar, which we reached about seven 
o'clock in the evening, is one of the few inland 
towns of Norway, and boasts only of 1,700 in- 
habitants. It is built on the hillside, and will not 
cause much loss should it fall into the lake, as is 
reasonably to be expected. I do not know how 
bad was the rival house that we saw a cockney 
driving to as we entered the "Victoria," but I 
feel sure that he had a better supper and a softer 



20 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

bed than we found. I did not try the breakfast, 
for which we were roused, as I preferred taking 
the chances for such food as the farmers could 
offer, or that the courier might prepare on the 
road. 

We made an early start, for at six o'clock we 
were seated in the carriage. Johanssen mounted 
the box beside the post-boy, and with a whip- 
cracking that would have satisfied an Italian vet- 
turino, we began our journey on wheels. Our 
road lay up through Gudbrandsdalen, one of 
the grand valleys that make Norway habitable, 
which, with its continuation, the Romsdal, ex- 
tends from the upper end of Lake Miosen to the 
sea at Veblungsnoes, and is the great artery of 
trade. The Laagen river, that takes its rise in 
the Lesjeverksvand, flows down the length of this 
valley, while the Rauma. that flows from the 
same source, runs northwardly down the Roms- 
dal. These rivers, swift and strong, add much 
to the beauty of the valley, and they keep the 
traveler company through the journey from lake 
to sea. 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 21 

We bowled along right merrily in the bright 
clear sunshine, the road being as smooth as a 
floor. Nine miles, which we made in less than 
an hour, brought us to Fossegarden, but as the 
station was some little distance from the road, 
my wife and I remained in the carriage, while 
the courier went after fresh horses. These 
quickly appeared. We paid the post-boy, who 
had come with us from Lillehamar, a sum 
amounting to about one dollar for each seven 
miles, and the inevitable drink-money, and, 
with a very sleepy looking youth to look after 
our new team, we resumed our journey. The 
Laagen, near this point, becomes very rapid, 
and the whirling waters are said to be alive w T ith 
trout. The hills on either hand increase in size 
and grandeur as we proceed, the valley decreas- 
ing in width. We drove the ten miles to Hol- 
men in a little more than an hour, and for the 
first time had the opportunity of examining a 
" station." The building was of squared logs, as 
are all of the stations in Norwa} T , though some 
are weather-boarded, and contained four rooms. 



22 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

In one of these the family lived ; the remaining 
rooms were at the service of the traveling public. 
Numerous out-buildings flanked the house, and 
the large hay-barns indicated the length of the 
winter. The furniture was of the simplest de- 
scription, and there were no unnecessary articles. 
This may be taken as an example of the poorer 
road-stations, for some of those that have "become 
popular are very fair inns, both in regard to size 
and comforts. Holmen is too near Lillehamar 
to attract any great amount of custom. At this 
place I, for the first time, tasted Norwegian beer 
— an excellent drink, that may be had of good 
quality all over the country. Passing through 
three other stations, the scenery increasing in 
wildness and interest as we advanced, we^reached 
Oien about six o'clock in the evening, having 
traveled fifty miles without experiencing the 
slightest fatigue. 

Oien is one of the best stations on this route. 
We were shown into a neat room, simply fur- 
nished, but arranged with a taste that would do 
credit to a Norman farm-wife. The beds were 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 23 

clean and inviting, while carefully arranged cur- 
tains screened the windows. 

Dinner was announced very shortly after our 
arrival, and we were served by a trim girl, 
who might have been a graduate from a French 
restaurant. The meal was the result of a com- 
bination of our tins with what we had found 
in the house, and was worthy of the appetites 
that were ready for it. Fish of the finest qual- 
ity may be obtained all over Norway. The 
smaller streams furnish trout in abundance, the 
lakes and rivers are full of salmon-trout, while 
the royal salmon is ready to leap to the fly from 
every stream that flows into the sea. 

Six o'clock found us again upon the road ; for, 
as this is the season for travel, it is well to be out 
early, so that horses may be procured without 
delay. A short distance from the first station, 
Storklevstad, we came to a monument erected by 
the side of the road to the memory of Colonel 
Sinclair, a Scotchman, who, in 161 2, with nine 
hundred followers, attempted to cross Norway to 
the aid of the Swedish king, and being opposed 



24 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T, 

in the Kringlen pass by about three hundred 
peasants, was slain, with all his men, by rocks 
and timber that were thrown down the mountain 
side upon the road they could not leave. Four- 
teen miles further on, we came to the Kringlen 
pass, the alleged scene of this disaster. 

The mountains had been increasing in size 
and improving in form since morning, and the 
valley had become little more than a defile for 
the roaring Laagen. After passing Laurgaard, 
the scenery becomes very wild, the precipices 
rising up like walls on either hand, the road 
crossing the stream from side to side to find a 
place for itself. This part of the valley, known 
as the Rusten pass, is a grand gorge, and every 
feature stands out in my memory as I recall it. 

Six o'clock found us at Tofte-moen, about 
forty-five miles from our starting place of the 
morning. The accommodations at this station 
were not so good as those at Oien, but then the 
honor of being entertained by a lineal descendant 
of King Harfaagr, as was claimed for himself 
by the station-master, was some compensation. 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 25 

The bedsteads offered by this royal host were 
rudely made, and the mattresses were bags of 
straw, but his majesty was polite and the princess 
attentive, and as we were very sleepy, we passed 
a reasonably comfortable night. 

Before morning several travelers arrived, so 
that, to secure horses, we were compelled to 
make another early start. The ponies used in 
Gudbrandsdalen are not, as a rule, of the true Nor- 
wegian breed, but have greater size, from an infu- 
sion of the Danish horse, to the injury, in my 
opinion, of the original stock. The true Norwe- 
gian horse is now found only on the western 
fiords. He seldom rises fourteen hands in height ; 
must be of some shade of dun, with a black 
stripe leading from his forehead down his back 
to the end of his tail. The legs are either black 
or barred with black. This animal has great 
endurance, a perfect temper, and will fatten on 
food that would scarcely nourish a rabbit. I 
brought a pair from the Sondmore district home 
with me, and I congratulate myself upon the 
possession of them. There is a horse found 



26 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

in Gudbrandsdalen, peculiar to that district, 
that has great size, with symmetry, but he is 
very different from the Danish animal, which 
resembles a saw-horse, and has but little more 
life. 

Crack ! goes the whip, and off we whirl, at 
the rate of ten miles an hour, down to Dombass, 
at the foot of the Dovre-field. Here we leave 
Gudbrandsdalen for the present, and, with the 
smallest horses we have yet used, essay the 
mountain roa/1. 

The long, steep hill proved too much for our 
ponies, and Mrs. Anderson and I left the empty 
carriage to come on by slow stages, while we at- 
tacked the Dovre-field on foot. Beautiful wild- 
flowers, of the most delicate shapes and of the 
richest coloring, literally bordered the road, and 
I culled at least twenty varieties. The trees 
decreased in size as we advanced, and, after 
walking four or five miles, we reached the pla- 
teau, a treeless, dreary moorland of very uneven 
surface. The Dovre-field, at the place where 
the road crosses it, is about thirty-five miles from 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 27 

base to base ; the table-land, or field proper, 
being about eighteen miles in breadth. 

It was not a long time before Johanssen came * 
up with the carriage, and, after giving the ponies 
a short rest, we were soon rolling along the road, 
that, taking advantage of the character of the 
ground, was nearly level, although there is a 
gradual ascent until Jerkin is reached. Seven 
miles from Dombass, and more than one thou- 
sand feet above it, is the station of Fokstuen, one 
of the dreariest places imaginable ; the former 
station being the nearest dwelling-house, while 
Jerkin is fourteen miles further on across the field. 
In the summer time, when these upland pastures 
or sceters furnish grass, the people of Fokstuen 
have for neighbors the peasant women who care 
for the cattle. These cowherds live in miserable 
little hovels, roughly made of planking placed 
upright. But this S£eter-life is only for two 
months. For the remainder of the year the sta- 
tion-master and his family are the only inhabit- 
ants of this bleak region. 

By the time we had reached Jerkin, which is 



28 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

more than three thousand feet higher than Dom- 
bass, it was so cold that we determined to leave 
the road, and make ourselves as comfortable as 
the place would permit. There are two living- 
houses here, besides the numerous out-buildings 
common to the farms. Jerkin is one of the old- 
est stations in Norway, is placed at the crossing 
of two important roads, and has a much better 
reputation for comforts than it deserves. Indeed, 
it is so popular that we found that ten or twelve 
travelers had already settled upon this station 
for the night, and the capacities of the inn were 
tried. 

We ran away from the lazy ones very early in 
the morning, and securing the best horses, con- 
tinued our journey. As we passed around a hill, 
about two miles from the station, Snehatta (Snow 
Cap) burst upon our admiring eyes. This moun- 
tain, although it is barely 8,000 feet above the 
sea level, is magnificent, by reason of its form 
and the boldness with which it stands up out of 
the field. It is a truncated pyramid in shape, 
with three bastard peaks. Near the road, the 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 29 

Kolla, like a sugar-loaf in shape, rises up to the 
height of six thousand feet, while the Knudsho, 
on the right-hand side of the road, is only ninety 
feet less. This is by far the finest part of the 
Dovre-field, for the foreground is filled with 
magnificent, moss-covered bowlders that are 
worthy of the grand peaks that surround them 
on all sides. Now we begin the descent, and 
the little brook that sings by the roadside will 
very soon grow into the rapid Driva, that has 
carved a way for us down the steep mountain 
side. We were soon shut in by the valley, and the 
mountains seemed to grow as we looked on them. 
After leaving Kongsvold, the valley increased in 
beauty. At one point near Drivstuen, the river 
rushed noisily through the deep gorge that con- 
fined it, and it was necessary to cut a bed for the 
road out of the mountain side. Then the valley 
opened out, until at Aune, where we stopped to 
take lunch, there were good broad fields. 

I tried the Norwegian cheeses, of which there 
are two kinds, at this station. The one looks and 
tastes as if it were made of a mixture of brown 



30 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

sugar and rancid lard. The other, less objec- 
tionable, was of a spongy consistency, and had 
no taste at all. 

At this point we left the valley of the Driva, 
and passing by Stuen, struck the valley of the 
Orkla river near Austbjerg. The latter part of 
this stage passes through some very fine scenery. 
From Austbjerg the road continues on the same 
level, while the river falling rapidly forms a deep 
and wide valley just beneath ; the splendid snow- 
clad mountains on the opposite side showing to 
great advantage. At one point on this stage the 
roadway is cut into the mountain side, and the 
river flows eight hundred feet below. 

At six o'clock, in a drenching rain, we reached 
Bjerkaker, and were very glad to find a good 
fire in the kitchen, by which we could warm and 
dry ourselves. The dinner was soon served, and 
as we had come more than fifty miles, it was not 
long before we retired. Not to sleep, alas ! for 
our bed-room was separated from the dining-hall 
by a thin board partition, and two young English- 
men, who had been fishing in the Orkla, and 



CHRISTIANIA TO THRONDHJEM. 3 1 

had come to the station for dinner, kept up their 
sporting reminiscences in loud tones until a late 
hour. 

I wish to warn the reader against thinking that 
these stations in any way resemble towns. A sta- 
tion is simply a farm-house that is offered to the 
traveling public, and although its long name may 
appear grandly on the maps of Norway, there is 
not one, except Lillehamar, that rises to the rank 
of a village. 

We had to make but two more stages before 
we should reach Storen, the terminus of the rail- 
way, about thirty miles from Throndhjem. At 
Presthus, the last station on the route, we met a 
young bridal couple, traveling by carrioles, who 
had just finished their first stage. The lady, who 
appeared to be already fatigued, carried a worth- 
less cur in her arms, about as troublesome an or- 
nament as could be well imagined. I pictured to 
myself that dog flying through space over the 
precipice near Austbjerg, if it survived so far. 

We had an early dinner at Storen, and at 
seven o'clock took the train for Throndhjem. 



32 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

The railway, a fine piece of engineering, follows 
the valley of a river that affords many beautiful 
views. At ten o'clock wc reached the venerable 
city, and found comfortable rooms and a good 
table at the hotel Angleterre. 



THRONDHJEM TO AAK. 33 



CHAPTER III. 

FROM THRONDHJEM OVER THE DOVRE-FIELD TO 
AAK IN ROMSDAL. 

I SPOKE of Throndhjem as venerable ; but, 
except the cathedral, which is only about 
eight hundred years old, there are few houses of 
any great age, as the city has been burned down 
a number of times, and even so recently as 1841. 
Nevertheless, the town that occupied the penin- 
sula made by the river Nid and the Throndhjem 
fiord was an ancient borough when, in the year 
997, King Trygvasen founded the city that is 
now known as Throndhjem, and I presume it is 
entitled to the honor of being considered ven- 
erable. 



34 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

Throndhjem is one of the chief ports of Nor- 
way, and does a large business in the shipment 
of lumber and fish ; but, except the cathedral, 
there is little to interest the traveler. This build- 
ing, begun some time in the eleventh century, 
has been made upon no fixed plan, but has been 
added to and changed by a dozen hands. Some 
of the work, particularly the carving in stone, is 
very good, but many of its beauties have been hid- 
den by the retaining walls that have been built up 
to support the original structure. The cathedral 
is now undergoing repairs, and in a few years 
will be in a more creditable condition than it 
now is, as the people of Norway are beginning 
to take a proper interest in its preservation. Be- 
neath the altar of this church the body of St. 
Olaf was once buried, and the mortal part of 
Hardraada once rested here in the grave-yard ; 
but no man can say where their bones are now. 

We remained four days at Throndhjem, and 
had nearly determined upon a voyage to the 
North Cape, but the season had already grown 
late, and a cold rain-storm setting in, we con- 



THRONDHJEM TO AAK. 35 

eluded to defer the expedition to some more 
favorable time. 

About three o'clock in the afternoon of July 
28th, we entered the carnage to resume our jour- 
ney, intending to make two stages before we 
should rest for the night. The first station was 
Esp, a splendid farm, with a very extensive out- 
look from the house over a well-cultivated coun- 
try. A drive of a mile brought us down to the 
shore of the Throndhjem fiord, along which we 
passed until we reached Saltnusand, where we 
took rooms and ordered dinner. The latter part 
of the stage gives many beautiful views across 
the broad fiord, and the station is charmingly 
situated. 

We were upon our way back across the Dovre- 
field, as it was our intention to reach Aak in the 
Romsdal, and we had selected a route through 
the valley of the Orkla, in order that we might 
avoid repeating more of the road than was nec- 
essary. 

We were now in a part of the country where 
there was but little travel, and, as at each of the 



36 SIN WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

stations they were required to keep six horses, we 
did not find it necessary to make an early start to 
secure animals for the carriage. It was therefore 
at a reasonable hour the next morning that we 
proceeded upon our journey, but so heavy was the 
road and so steep the ascent to Ely, that we walked 
nearly the whole distance. Ely is situated on the 
summit of the range of hills that surrounds 
Throndhjem fiord, and the scene from this point 
is magnificent, the many sails in the harbor below 
adding life and interest to the picture. 

The first half of the next stage was almost as 
bad as that we already had come over, but we 
shortly began the descent into the valley, and 
entered Orkladalsoren on a brisk trot, with a hot 
drag. 

The station here promised something more 
than any we had yet seen, for the sign of " hotel" 
adorned the freshly-painted front. But the old 
traveler in Norway, who has been taught to place 
little confidence in signs, will not be surprised 
that we were unable to procure anything to eat, 
and were compelled to resort to our own stores. 



THRONDHJEM TO AAK. 37 

While the horses were being put to the car- 
riage, a number of rosy-cheeked children gath- 
ered round in wonder at the unusual magnifi- 
cence of the equipage. I never saw finer chil- 
dren than those that are seen by the roadside 
in Norway ; fat, cheery, blue-eyed cherubs. 
They grow up into handsome men and sturdy 
women. 

I did not ask Johanssen what our bill was at 
the hotel for the use of the dining-room, but I am 
sure that it was a reasonable one, for the people of 
this country are not extortionate. We had a pair 
of very good horses up to By ; one of them per- 
haps a little too fiery, but when the post-boy told 
me that he w r as past thirty, I entered no com- 
plaint in the " Day-book. " This is a journal that 
is kept in accordance with law at each station, for 
the purpose of receiving any charges the traveler 
may make against the post-master or his servants. 
It is believed that formerly an officer inspected 
these books, and investigated the charges, but 
the entries of the modern tourists have proved so 
frivolous, they being nearly always complaints 



38 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

against the weather, that those made in the En- 
glish language at least are now unheeded. 

At Arlevald, a very neatly-kept farm-house, we 
stopped for the night. The next day we pro- 
ceeded through Carlstadt to Grut. At this latter 
station wc were shown the drinking-horn that 
has been used by many of the Norwegian mon- 
archs as they passed from their coronation at 
Throndhjem, and as it was the custom for each to 
drop a piece of money into the cup, and as this 
coin was afterward used to ornament the horn, 
the owner has a valuable and interesting relic. I 
recollect that this drinking-horn was exhibited to 
us in the family room, and I thought that the bed, 
with its two rugs of sheepskin, that are used 
both winter and summer, did not look very in- 
viting. Many of the richest farmers cling to the 
old custom of sleeping between robes of sheep- 
skin or of fur, even though they may keep mod- 
ern beds for their guests. 

The next station was Haarstadt, and just be- 
yond this is a beech -tree, celebrated over Norway 
for its size. I suppose that for a deciduous tree 



THRONDHJEM TO AAK. 39 

it is very large for the climate in which it grows, 
but I could not get up any very great amount of 
surprise at the sight of it. 

The road, after we pass this station, leaves the 
valley, and by well-conducted turns climbs the 
steep mountain, many fine views being offered as 
we ascend. At the top of the hill we come again 
to Bjerkaker, and passing Austbjerg, we spend 
the night at Stuen, an excellent station. 

The next day we make an early start, and by 
five o'clock in the afternoon have recrossed the 
Dovre-field, and have arrived at Dombass, in 
Gudbrands valley. 

One stage up along the Laagen, and we 
reached Holaker, where we were to remain the 
next day, Sunday. The master of this station 
farms many acres, and owns large herds and 
flocks. The house is close by the road, about 
two hundred feet above the river, the corn-fields 
lying below it. The saeter-paths, upon which 
the cattle pass to and from the upland pastures, 
may be seen marking the steep mountain side. 

This is one of the best stations in Norway from 



40 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WAT. 

which to make excursions after reindeer, as it is 
but a short distance to the wildest parts of the 
Dovre-fleld, and the saeter-huts will afford shelter 
against the severe weather that is usual on those 
heights. Most of the best salmon rivers in this 
country are preserved, but in the proper season 
the sportsman may shoot free, and quantities of 
reindeer, black-cock, capercailzie, and other game 
may be found on the mountains. The elk was 
formerly an inhabitant of Norway, but, except on 
the Swedish frontier, he is rarely to be seen. 

While we were at Holaker a party of English- 
men, with their guides, started out after reindeer. 
One of the gentlemen, by stalking the animals, 
which is, I believe, the usual custom, had killed 
five during the previous season. 

We were charmed with the hostess of our 
inn, for she treated us as though we were wel- 
come friends, and not strange wayfarers. The 
amount of silver-plate that decorated our dinner 
table seemed out of place in a farm-house. But 
the Norwegian peasant is proud of his curiously 
patterned silverware, and often has it in quanti- 



THRONDHJBM TO AAK. 41 

ties that surprises the traveler. The silver gilt 
marriage-crown is everywhere sacredly kept, and 
handed down from generation to generation. 
Beautifully carved chests, hanging shelves, and 
smaller household articles of wood ; made by the 
farmer during the long winter evenings, may be 
seen in even the poorest home. And many of 
the peasants are skillful workers in iron, while 
some will give to their steel knives the temper of 
a Damascus blade. 

It was like parting with old friends when we 
bade adieu to these good people upon a bright 
Monday morning. A very pretty girl took the 
part of post-boy on this stage, all the males of the 
family being engaged in the hay-fields. The road 
to Holset led along that part of the river called 
the Lesje-vand, and at the next station, passing 
through the least interesting stage of our jour- 
ney, we came to the lake, 2,000 feet above the 
sea, that is the common source of the Laagen, 
flowing south, and of the Rauma pouring down 
to the sea in another direction. 

The next station is Molmen, and a short dis- 



42 SIX WEEKS IN NOR WA T. 

tance beyond it the road and the river begin that 
fellowship that the narrowing valley compels 
them to hold, until the gorge opens abruptly at 
Aak. Before we reach Stuflaaten the Rauma 
begins to descend very rapidly, forming beautiful 
cataracts. After leaving this station we are well 
into the Romsdal, celebrated throughout Norway 
for its wild scenery. The road has been rapidly 
falling, so that at Ormeim we are seven hundred 
feet lower than at the last station. 

Ormeim is in a narrow valley ; lofty, almost 
perpendicular, mountains rise upon either side of 
the Rauma as it hurries down to the sea. From 
the left a splendid torrent comes tumbling over 
the top of the wall, and, spreading out into three 
noisy falls, joins the rushing river. 

Here we stay all night, in order that we may 
have the bright morning sunshine to light up the 
glories of the lower Romsdal. 

When we look before us, after we leave Or- 
meim, the high mountains are so cl<^e together 
that they seem to shut us in. At Fladmark we 
reach the bottom of the valley. 



THRONDHJEM TO AAK. 43 

But how shall I describe the Romsdal as it ap- 
peared to us at Horgheim ? On either hand bare 
walls of black rock rise up to a height greater 
than six thousand feet. They threaten to close 
in upon us, and a sense of awe forces itself upon 
us as we look up at them. On the right the 
Horn rises symmetrically, while upon the left the 
Witches-peaks, sharp and clear, look like iron 
spikes on the almost level sky-line. 

I can say no more. If in these few lines I do 
not convey an idea of the grandeur of the Roms- 
dal, I am sure that I should do no better by mul- 
tiplying words. 

Three miles from the foot of the Horn the val- 
ley suddenly opens into a rough plateau, and here 
the Aak Hotel welcomes the traveler. Three 
miles beyond is the town of Veblungsnoes, upon 
the Romsdal fiord. 



44 AAK TO BERGEN. 



CHAPTER IV. 

FROM AAK, THROUGH THE FIORDS, TO BERGEN. 

THE solitary house at Aak, placed upon a 
slight eminence near the mouth of the gorge, 
has a beautiful and romantic situation. It is al- 
most shut in by the high and bold mountains that 
have formed the gloomy valley through which we 
have just passed, while directly in front the taper- 
ing peak of the Romsdalhorn towers five thou- 
sand feet above the river. This hotel was orig- 
inally the farm-house of Mr. Landmark, and has 
never been a station, but the great beauty of the 
situation has caused many travelers to take up their 
quarters here until their remunerative custom has 
induced the proprietor to make extensions to the 
modest homestead and improvements in the fare, 
until Aak has become one of the best inns in Nor- 



AAK TO BERGEN. 45 

way. There are many interesting excursions that 
can btst be made from this place, while the fishing 
and hunting in the vicinity is not surpassed. 
The royal salmon and reindeer's-flesh were the 
standard dishes at Aak ; the former taken daily 
from the river that flows near the house, while 
the venison, much inferior to that of the Vir- 
ginia deer, was shot in the neighboring fields. 

We found several charming ladies and some 
jolly English collegians at Aak. Indeed, one may 
expect to meet company here throughout the 
season, not a disagreeable episode in a tour that 
is, of a necessity, so quiet. 

The short summer was drawing to a close, and 
fearful lest we should be caught in the autumnal 
rains before we got back to Christiania., we were 
induced to leave this delightful place after a visit 
of four days. 

On one of the pleasant afternoons we drove to 
Veblungsnces, where we were, upon the next day, 
to take the steamer to continue our tour. Veb- 
lungsnoes is a fishing" village of eight or ten 
houses that face upon its single street, few of 
them the better looking ' for their evident age. 



46 AAK TO BERGEN. 

The inn, where we found shelter for the night 
was, however, both clean and comfortable. 

Daring an evening walk upon the pier we saw 
how it is these dwellers on the shore become the 
hardy, brave sailors that they invariably are, for 
the children, many of them not above four or five 
years of age, had taken the fishing-boats and were 
rowing the crank shells about the deep waters 
of the fiord,' and were thus early learning to de- 
spise the dangers of the waves. The steamer 
that lay at anchor, waiting for the morning to 
take us on our way, appeared hardly larger than 
the fishing-boats. The " Erkno," big enough 
perhaps for the requirements of the traffic she 
was engaged in, was, indeed, smaller than many 
pleasure yachts. She had been built to ply upon 
the Molde fiord and its brandies, of which the 
Romsdal is the principal. Each of the main 
fiords has one or more of these vessels to take 
out to the sea-coast the products of the regions 
penetrated by these deep inlets, and larger ships, 
plying the length of the coast, carry their col- 
lected cargoes to the markets of Bergen or 
Throndhjem. 



AAK TO BERGEN. 47 

It was yet early, though the sun had been up 
some hours, when we were rowed out to the 
"Erkno," and shortly after we had reached the 
deck she was put in motion. We passed down 
the Romsdal fiord, hemmed in by the boldest 
shores we had yet seen, and which, even after we 
had seen the lower fiords, were remembered as 
very grand. From our starting point it is twenty- 
five miles to the junction with Molde fiord, and 
here the waters that have been scarcely a mile 
from shore to shore spread out until they form a 
bay ten miles in width. 

Just before we reached Voestnoes, where we 
were to disembark, we caught a distant view 
of the city of Molde, with its white houses stand- 
ing out in strong relief against the green hills 
that rise beyond, the leper's hospital being dis- * 
tinctly seen. Asylums for those unfortunate 
beings who are afflicted with leprosy have been 
established here and at Bergen. The disease 
does not exist in the interior of the country, but 
only affects the fishermen, and, it is supposed, is 
superinduced by the meager diet upon which 
they are forced to subsist. 



48 AAK TO BERGEN. 

A point of land hid Molde from our sight, and 
an hour after noon we were landed at Voestnoes. 
Our carriage was soon ready for us, as it had not 
been necessary to take it apart, and with a pair of 
good horses we proceeded to cross over to the 
Stor fiord. The only object of interest in the first 
stage of our journey was a ship-yard, where a 
splendid vessel had just been launched. It was 
about seven miles of a heavy road that brought 
us to the farm of Ellingsgard. This being a 
slow-station, where it is not compulsory for the 
master to keep ready horses, we experienced some 
delay. At length two sorry beasts were released 
from the plough and placed at our service. We 
passed slowly over the field, dotted with sceter- 
huts, and after fourteen miles of a most uninter- 
esting ride, we came to the smiling meadows that 
lie about Soholt, and presently drew up before 
that station lying upon the Stor fiord. 

We found very good accommodations at So- 
holt, and after an early breakfast we took a row- 
boat to meet the steamer that plies on the Stor 
fiord, for there are no piers here, and the packet 
will not wait long for the unexpected passengers, 



AAK TO BERGEN. 49 

The boats in which everything is carried between 
these steamers and the shore, at all the smaller 
ports, give the idea of being very insecure craft, 
but I have seen them carry well in heavy weather, 
owing largely, doubtless, to the seamanship of 
those who manned them. 

The scenery about Soholt is not of a grand 
character, but as we steamed southwardly down 
the Stor fiord the mountains soon become im- 
posing in height, rising abruptly from the water. 
After proceeding eight or nine miles we found 
the Dais fiord, trending eastward from the main 
artery. This fiord, resembling that part of the 
Stor fiord through which we had just passed, we 
followed to its head, some ten or twelve miles. 
It was here that Olaf, after one of his defeats, 
burned his last ship and fled through Valdalen. 
Upon the face of a cliff that rises from the 
water may be seen an irregular mark, that 
is said to have been left by a serpent thrown 
against the wall by this same holy Olaf. Turn- 
ing about we again found the Stor, here called 
the Sunelvs fiord, and proceeded southwardly, 
the mountains becoming more precipitous as 



50 A A K TO BERGEN. 

we advanced. On either side, at short inter- 
vals, we saw where the avalanches had scarred 
the rocks, sometimes having avoided the little 
farms that were cultivated upon the narrow ledges, 
sometimes having swept both farms and houses 
into the gulf beneath. Ten miles below the 
mouth of Dais fiord we reached the Geiranger 
fiord, which is considered the grandest in Nor- 
way. As we turned eastwardly to enter the nar- 
row passage that presented itself, all that we had 
seen seemed insignificant with what we then be- 
held. The water is hardly more than a mile in 
width, while on either hand rise smooth rocks, 
with hardly a break in them, to a height of nearly 
five thousand feet, apparently even greater. The 
shadows blacken the surface of the fiord, and the 
waterfalls that plunge over the walls have a wierd 
whiteness. On the right a winding path, cut into 
the side of the cliff, leads to a house built upon 
a ledge where a venturesome mountaineer has 
sought to win a living from the little earth that 
has there found a resting place. We could well 
believe, as we were told by the master of our ves- 
sel, that the children were, for safety, tied to the 



A A K TO BERGEN, 51 

door-posts, and that those of the family who" died 
on the farm were lowered by ropes, a thousand 
feet, to the water below. Nine miles from its 
mouth, at the head of the fiord, is Maraak, where 
some of the passengers disembarked. The ves- 
sel was then put about, and in an hour we had 
again reached the Sunelvs fiord, and at its head, a 
half-hour's ride, we found the village of Helsylt, 
where we intended resting the next day. 

It was nearly dark when we entered the inn at 
Helsylt, and we were too much fatigued with the 
journey of the past two days to make any ob- 
servations of the place. Upon looking out of the 
window in the morning a beautiful sight met the 
eye. The fiord, lighted up by the morning sun, 
was alive with fairy-like sail-boats, that, at various 
distances, were making for the little beach made 
by the washings from the mountain side where 
the few houses that compose Helsylt find stand- 
ing-room. As the foremost boats drew near 
we saw that they were filled with gaily-dressed 
peasants, and the tolling of the bell in the 
neighboring church reminded us that it was 
Sunday, and suggested the occasion of the ad- 



52 AAK TO BERGEN. 

vance of the flotilla. Upon leaving the inn we 
found that mountains, almost as steep as those 
that bordered the fiord, rose from behind the four 
or five houses that were built upon the strand. 
A road coming down through a deep valley 
from the east passed by the door and climbed the 
western hills ; this and the fiord are the only 
means by which Helsylt is accessible to the 
outside world. Within an hour of our rising the 
last boat had deposited its load upon the shore, 
and in a body the people, now increased by oth- 
ers who had come in by the road, quietly took 
their Way to church. It is only in such retired 
spots as this that the peasants of Norway retain 
the costume which was peculiar to different dis- 
tricts, and was always, though rich in color, in 
keeping with the dress of nature that surrounded 
them. I am sure that a more lovely picture of 
Norway and Norwegians could not have been 
given us than that we had upon this glorious 
summer day. 

It had been our intention to proceed upon our 
journey on Monday morning, but as I was de- 
sirous of taking a good Norwegian pony home 



AAK TO BERGEN. 53 

with me, and having heard of a very fine speci- 
men in Norangsdal, some thirty or forty miles 
distant, I sent for the animal, and we awaited his 
coming. Late in the evening of Monday my 
messenger made his appearance with the pony. 
" Per," for so he was called, pleased me so well 
that I bought him at once, and though it was 
through trouble and expense that I got him safely 
to this country, I have never regretted my pur- 
chase. A friend found a mate for him at the 
yearly fair in Holmen, and they make a most 
serviceable and docile phaeton team. 

On Tuesday morning, then, we left Helsylt for 
Faleidet, on the Nord-fiord, Mrs. Anderson and I 
walking, while Johanssen and the post-boy (a 
man nearly seven feet in height) helped the horses 
drag the carriage up the cruelly steep hill. As 
the first station, Tronstad, is twelve hundred feet 
above our starting-point, we did not get much 
assistance from the carriage, for it was load 
enough in itself for the horses. When we got 
a fresh pair, the road being better, we entered 
the carriage and set forth. I led the pony from 
my seat in the carriage, but as he was constantly 



54 AAK TO BERGEN. 

breaking away, I was glad to give him up at 
Haugen to a woman, who undertook to lead him, 
about fourteen miles, to Faleidet, for the sum of 
five Norsk dollars. I have not quite so good 
an opinion of this person as I have of Norwe- 
gians in general. She was the mistress of the 
station, and her house was so uninviting that we 
preferred eating our mid -day meal in the sunny 
pasture to going within her doors ; and, in addi- 
tion to this, I learned that instead of leading 
"Per," as she had covenanted, she mounted the 
poor beast, and trotted him the two stages that 
lie between Haugen and Faleidet. 

Having got rid of our care, and the road proving 
a good one, we passed to Grodass at a brisk trot. 
This station is beautifully situated at the head 
of a lake called Horningsvand, and the road 
for some distance leads along the water side. 
But a hill soon interposed itself, and then for six 
or seven miles it was a dreary, upward, uninter- 
esting stage. Finally we reached the crest of the 
mountain and began the descent, the last mile into 
Faleidet being as near the perpendicular as will 
allow the stones to lie upon the surface. At last, 



AAK TO BERGEN. 55 

wet and weary, after a most fatiguing journey 
of about thirty-five miles, we reached the sta- 
tion, which proved an excellent one. 

It was with a sense of relief that we woke to 
the fact that we were to complete our journey to 
Bergen by boat, and that we should not again 
have to trust ourselves to the rough by-roads that 
connect the fiords. All that I have said heretofore 
in regard to the admirable state in which the 
roads of Norway are kept, refers to the highways 
between important points and where fast stations 
are kept. But in passing through the thinly 
populated country between Vestnoes and Faleide 
there is much vexation of spirit and of body 

It was about nine o'clock in the morning when 
we went aboard the "Sogne" steamer, to pass 
through the Nord -fiord and down the coast to 
Bergen. The storm that had caught us the pre- 
ceding day had not yet passed off, but under 
the canopy stretched over the quarter-deck we 
were comparatively comfortable. Among the 
passengers we were pleased to see people with 
whom we had occasionally met in different parts 
of the country, among them two English ladies 



56 AAK TO BERGEN, 

who were traveling, unaccompanied by male 
escort, without inconvenience or annoyance. 
After casting off the cables we steamed across 
the fiord to Udvik, a charmingly situated village 
skirting a little bay, and surrounded by fine 
mountains. After leaving Udvik a few miles, we 
caught a glorious view of the Justedal glacier, 
the emerald-green ice rising even with the high 
peaks, and throwing out light from its glittering 
face. This glacier, it is asserted, is seventy miles 
in extent ; and in some places the ice is several 
thousand feet in thickness. 

I do not know whether I can speak of the 
Nord-fiord as I should, and yet be true to my 
love for the Geiranger. Certainly many of the 
views upon the Nord are indescribably grand, 
and yet entirely different from that of any other 
inlet we had yet visited. The majestic moun- 
tains rise gradually from the water, and the 
lower parts are covered with farms and forests, 
while the tops rise in gloomy sterility. Indeed, 
each of the fiords we visited had scenery peculiar 
to itself, and always, on this western coast, 
magnificent. Night closed in upon us before 



AAK TO B BR GEN, tf 

we had left the fiord, and when we came upon 
the deck in the morning we were sailing through 
the canals that are formed along the coast by 
the innumerable islets that extend throughout 
its length, and so break the force of the angriest 
seas. These islands are for the most part bare 
rocks, but here and there may be seen one that 
affords some grass to a few stunted cows. About 
four o'clock in the afternoon we overtook a fleet 
of fishing-boats, built like the old serpent ships 
of the Norsemen, carrying their cargoes to Ber- 
gen, and shortly afterward — a welcome sight — 
we saw the red-tiled roofs of the city spread over 
the little plat of ground that is shut off from the 
interior by steep, brown hills, and almost shut 
out from the ocean by the islands that lie across 
the mouth of the bay. 



CHAPTER V. 

FROM BZRGEN, THROUGH THE HARDANGER FIORD 
AND OVER THE FILLE FIELD, TO CHRISTIANIA. 

IT is not often that the traveler will have three 
successive days at Bergen without rain, for the 
climate of this place is exceedingly moist. We 
were, however, fortunate in having pleasant 
weather during our stay. Bergen has a queer, 
cramped, old-fashioned look that makes it an in- 
teresting city to the traveler from the New World. 
The principal street is the Strand, which, though 
lined with very well filled shops, is only wide 
enough for two carts to pass each other, and I do 
not know how vehicles change their direction 

58 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIAN/A. S9 

except by going around a block, or by meeting 
with one of the open squares, of which there are 
several. 1 he narrow streets running parallel 
with each other are connected by the narrowest 
of alleys, called u smugs," a name that suggests 
their appearance. The city has about thirty 
thousand inhabitants, and is built upon both sides 
of a little harbor called the Vaagen, the older 
part occupying the left hand shore as one ap- 
proaches, and here are Hakon's Hall and Walk- 
endorfTs tower, relics of the thirteenth century. 
In this part of the city, facing the harbor, may be 
seen the tall, white warehouses built and once 
occupied by the merchants of the Hanseatic 
League, now store -houses for the fish that are 
brought from Nordland. The city is by no means 
well built, the houses being of wood, and few 
of them more than two stories in height ; the 
architecture is of the most primitive character. 

Bergen was once the richest and most import- 
ant city of the three Northern Kingdoms, and the 
excellence of its harbor, and the great and in- 
creasing fish trade of Norway, will no doubt 
restore this port to its former prosperity. The 



60 BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 

value of the fish product sent from Bergen to the 
various foreign countries amounts to about ten 
millions of dollars annually, nearly one-third of 
the sum received into the country from its com- 
bined exports. The views from the neighboring 
hills, the museum, the fish-market, and the fur 
stores are the objects of interest in Bergen. The 
collection of specimens of sea-life in the museum 
is one of the most extensive and best prepared of 
any in Europe, while the furs to be found in this 
city are much finer than those I saw in London. 

A storm had just set in when, early upon the 
15th day of August, we went aboard the " Hard- 
angeren " steamer, to continue our projected tour ; 
and I am satisfied, from what I have learned of 
that climate, that after the phenomenon of three 
dry days the same deluge continues to flood the 
streets of Bergen. 

The city was soon buried in a thick fog as we 
steamed out among the rocky islands gathered 
about the mouth of the harbor. Our course then 
lay south, through channels such as had offered 
us approach to Bergen from the north, the water 
being perfectly still, though the North Sea, with 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 61 

such a wind as swept by us, must have been 
raving on the outside of the barrier. 

It was already afternoon when we entered the 
Hardanger fiord, and the lofty mountain-tops 
were hidden in the clouds. About four o'clock 
the mist lifted, and while daylight lasted we did 
not lose any of the grand panorama that was un- 
rolled before our eyes. The chief beauty of the 
Hardanger fiord lies in the richness and variety 
of its foliage, which, until its eastern arms are 
reached, covers the very summits, here and there 
a bare point being the exception. It was between 
some of these higher peaks that we caught a 
glimpse of the u Folge-fond," a glacier nearly as 
extensive as the Justedal. 

It was late in the night when we reached Eide, 
at the head of the fiord, and as there was no 
promise of a fair morrow, we left the steamer, 
which was the next day to proceed down the 
Stor -fiord, and so abandoned our plan of explor- 
ing that inlet and a half-formed design of at- 
tempting a visit to the Voring-fos, one of the 
finest water-falls in Europe. 

But the wisdom of our decision was apparent 



62 BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 

in the morning, when we saw the fog lying thick 
and low, obscuring the view, and the rain pour- 
ing down in torrents that took away all desire to 
see the Voring-fos. The rainy season had set in, 
and we had much to look at and far to go before 
we reached Christiania. After an early breakfast 
we took the carriage, expecting to reach Gud- 
vangen, on the Nero fiord, before nightfall. For 
some distance we drove along the shores of a lit- 
tle lake that tempted us to stay and admire it. 
But we had a long day's ride before us, and we 
resisted all attempts to detain us. At an ill-kept 
station, called Vasenden, we got a pair of fresh 
horses, and a short distance beyond we began to 
ascend the " Skiervet." There are some splendid 
views from this point, and half-way up the hill 
the road is carried across the stream in the face 
of a beautiful water-fall. After passing "Skier- 
vet" we came to a pine forest, then to farms and 
meadows until fourteen miles from Eide, we drew 
up before Fleischer's hotel in Vossvangen. 

This little village has, from the distance, a very 
picturesque appearance, the ancient stone church 
being the principal feature in the landscape. 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 63 

The inn at Vossvangen is a very good one, and 
as the neighborhood furnishes excellent sport for 
both rod and gun, it is a favorite resort of the 
English tourist, who is always ready to cast a fly 
or " blaze away " at a ptarmigan. 

We remained only a few hours at Vossvangen, 
notwithstanding its varied attractions, and then set 
forward. The rain was still pouring down, and as 
the road for the next stage was a very heavy one, 
we were compelled to walk almost the whole dis- 
tance to Tvinde, seven miles, and a great part of 
the way to Vinje, the next station beyond. Here 
no fresh horses were to be found, and we waited 
until the pair that had just arrived from a jour- 
ney of fifteen miles, over one of the worst roads 
in Norway, should be rested sufficiently to repeat 
the exertion. This delay would not have been 
disagreeable under more favorable circumstances, 
but the only house at the station was so greatly 
in need of sweeping, that we preferred remain- 
ing in the carriage until the post-boy should agree 
to go forward, to seeking the shelter that was of- 
fered us. 

At length the horses were put to the carriage 



64 BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 

and we toiled on to Stalheim, which is twelve 
hundred feet above Eide. A short distance be- 
yond this station the road descends into the Nero- 
dal, a wonderful piece of engineering, for it is 
carried nearly a thousand feet in the distance of 
half a mile by fourteen bends, that are built up 
in solid masonry against the mountain's face. 
On each side of this work is a fine water-fall, first 
the one and then the other being presented as the 
traveler follows the turns of the terraces. At 
the foot of Stalheim-clifT the valley is only wide 
enough for the road to find a bed alongside of the 
little stream, the mountains on both hands rising 
perpendicularly. Night caught us in this pass, 
gloomy enough in the brightest day, but the 
horses knew their way, and we pushed on to 
Gudvangen, although everything w r as enveloped 
in darkness. 

It is through this gorge that the New fiord 
comes up to Gudvangen, and the narrowness and 
winding of its channel gives it in many places the 
appearance of a lake set deep in the mountains. 
It is often difficult for the traveler to predict where 
the outlet lies, and what the course will be, for 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 65 

sometimes the steepest mountain that blocks the 
way will seem to move aside and open a passage. 
It was down this magnificent scenery that we 
passed, the morning after we had reached Gud- 
vangen, in the steamer that plies the Sogne-fiord 
and its branches. Innumerable water-falls sur- 
rounded us, many of them leaping without a break 
from the fields into the fiord below, and adding 
to the mystic grandeur of the scene. After pass- 
ing a few miles we met the Auriand fiord, the 
channel becoming much wider, but the moun- 
tains still very grand. Fifteen miles from Gud- 
vangen we gain the Sogne-fiord ; this, the largest 
fiord in Norway, stretches more than a hundred 
miles into the land. The scenery along its whole 
length is said to be majestic, and more of the in- 
terior of the country is presented from it than 
from the confined inlets I have been describing. 
We traversed fifteen miles of this fiord to Ler- 
dalsoren, between mountains that were striking 
in form and of great altitude. The highest part 
of the field in So^ne-fiord is the peak of " Bleien," 
which rises about eight thousand feet above the 
water. 



66 BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 

We disembarked at Lerdalsoren, and once more 
taking the carriage we were driven up to the inn, 
about a mile from the pier. 

As the weather continued bad, and prevented 
our making any of the excursions from this place, 
we left it the morning after our arrival by the 
road leading up the Lerdal, over the Fi lie- field, 
and finally through the beautiful Valders. 

It was but a very short distance that the way 
led over the level plain ; before we had passed 
over the first stage we had already entered a val- 
ley, which, before we came to Husum, had be- 
come a wild gorge, with masses of rock broken 
into weird shapes, hanging over the way and for- 
bidding our approach. The river sometimes 
rushes along by the roadside, then having leaped 
into a chasm, is heard chafing against its walls 
far below us. 

About half way between the second and third 
stations we passed the old church of Borgund. 
This edifice, said to be eight hundred years old, 
is fantastically built of wood, now black with age, 
and, with its broken roof and gables adorned with 
dragon's heads, suggests China rather than Nor- 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 67 

way. Beyond this the valley widens again, and 
at Hceg we reach the foot of the Fille-field, 
though the Lerdal river, now fifteen hundred feet 
above the sea, still keeps us company. The road 
thus far has, though admirably buiU, been al- 
ternately climbing and descending, but before we 
arrived at Maristuen, we were forced to gain 
nearly two thousand feet in the four or five miles. 

Maristuen, besides being a station, is one of 
the houses built by government for the safety and 
comfort of those travelers who may be crossing the 
field in bad weather, and the keeper has certain 
privileges from the state for living in this bleak 
and lonely spot. Nystuen, the next station, also 
supported by the government, is the highest point 
in the pass. That part of the Fille-field over 
which we have come is a dreary waste, but has 
not the wildness and variety that characterized 
the Dovre- field. Several fine peaks rise about 
Nystuen, from one of which the range of the 
Jotunfield, the loftiest mountains in Norway, may 
be seen. 

The people who pass the long and severe win- 
ters upon these exposed heights must suffer great 



68 BERGEN TO CHR1ST/ANIA. 

hardships, and lead a life of tiresome monotony. 
For many days they dare not, in the deep snows 
and biting winds, leave the shelter of the house, 
and the only strangers they are likely to meet are 
those who probably require their ready aid. The 
keeper of this station has been rewarded by the 
state with a medal for his humane exertions in 
saving the lives of many poor wayfarers who 
have been caught in the dreaded snow-storms, 
and it must be a wild night that would imprison 
him should he believe that there were travelers 
upon the road. It was but a few days after the 
middle of August, and we were warmly clothed, 
yet I shiver now as I recollect how cold it was 
the night we passed at Nystuen. 

I have elsewhere spoken of the difficulty in 
procuring good food while traveling in this coun- 
try, a trouble that lies more in the carelessness of 
the people than in any want of material. Most 
of the station-keepers are rich farmers, who own 
their herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, but as 
they do not care for greater variety of food than 
they have been accustomed to, they think it un- 
reasonable in the traveler to ask for more. Al- 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 69 

though there were a number of fowls about the 
farm at Nystuen, no one knew where the eggs 
were, and it created surprise when a demand was 
made for one of the chickens to be served at 
breakfast. 

The descent of the Fille-field had very much 
the same scenery as we saw upon the farther side, 
but the speed with which we hurried down the 
long hills was much more pleasant than the slow 
progress we had been making. Skogstad, at the 
eastern foot of the Fille-field^ introduces us into 
the district known as Valders, an uninterrupted 
series of lovely vales, extending more than sev- 
enty-five miles. 

From Skogstad the road leads down to a lake, 
and then bordering it for seven miles, brings us 
to Tune. A short distance from this latter sta- 
tion is a view which an " American gentleman," 
so said the delighted station-master, has pro- 
nounced to be the finest in the world. I do not 
think that I can conscientiously say that I coin- 
cide in the opinion, but I think that he is not far 
wrong. From Tune to Oilo the old road led 
over the Kvamskleven, and still stands as a monu- 



70 BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. 

ment to the skill and labor of those who have 
recently cut a level road in the face of the solid 
granite along the side of the lake. The views 
from this station are very extensive, and to those 
who have just left the grand but bare and dark 
fiords, these smiling vales are very charming. 

From Oilo the road crosses the stream to Stee, 
and then, passing along another lake, brings us 
to Reien. The scenery for the whole of the day's 
journey to Lillestrand, where we stopped for the 
night, is beautiful beyond the power of descrip- 
tion ; so broad, so varied, with wooded glens, 
rolling pastures, silver lakes, and awe-inspiring 
mountains. 

At Reien we saw, as we had often before seen 
like cases, the disadvantage of traveling in this 
country without an interpreter. We found, upon 
arriving at the station, two German gentlemen 
who had long been detained because, there being 
no horses, they could not express a willingness to 
pay for horses taken from the farm. After Jc- 
hanssen had caused our wants to be supplied, he 
put the strangers in the way of getting on in the 
world. 



BERGEN TO CHRISTIANIA. >Ji 

Lillestrand is a very good station, but we did 
not long enjoy its comforts, for upon learning 
that there were so many travelers on the road 
that we should make an early start if we did not 
wish to risk delay, Johanssen, who appeared to be 
sleepless as well as tireless, called us at three 
o'clock, and in an hour afterward we were upon 
the road- The drive to Fagernoes, leading around 
the Strand-fiord, had scenery equal to that which 
we had enjoyed the day previous, and I am al- 
most tempted to pronounce the same verdict 
upon the view from the hill beyond Frydenlund 
that the u American gentleman" rendered for the 
one near Oilo. After passing Gravdal the road 
began to descend, and we drove the ten miles 
from Tomlevolden to Odnces, down the valley of 
the Etna, in an hour. 

Upon the following morning we took the 
steamer at Odnoes, and passing through the 
Rands fiord, a lake fifty miles in length, bordered 
with fields of grain, we were landed at the ter- 
minus of the railroad, on its southern end. Here, 
taking the waiting train, we were hurried past the 



72 BERGEN TO CRR1STIANIA. 

falls of Honefos, along the base of Ringriget, 
through Drammen, and at ten o'clock that night 
were installed in luxurious apartments at the 
Victoria Hotel, Christiania. 



CONCLUSION. 73 



CONCLUSION. 

NORWAY is, according to the constitu- 
tion, " a free state, independent, indivisa- 
ble, and inalienable, united to Sweden under the 
same king." Previous to 1814 it had been under 
the domination of the kings of Denmark for 
nearly five centuries, but in that year Prince 
Christian, of Denmark, was elected king, to ab- 
dicate within six months in favor of Charles XIII, 
of Sweden, who had been foreed upon the coun- 
try by the decision of the " allied powers," and 
who was then finally accepted by representatives 
of the people. This king was succeeded by his 

heir, Beenadotte, under the title of Charles John 

» 



74 CONCLUSION. 

XIV, and it is the grandson of Napoleon's mar- 
shal, the wisest and ablest monarch in Europe, 
who is now at the head of the government. 
There are no longer any titles of nobility, and the 
people are boastful of their liberty, but they have 
the sincerest love and loyalty for their sovereign, 
whose portrait may be seen in nearly every cot- 
tage. 

The parliament is elected, for three years, from 
among the people, and the upper house is chosen 
by the Stor- thing from its own body. It has 
about the same powers as our congress, and a bill 
that passes three successive Stor-things become 
the law even against the veto of the king. 

The Norwegians are an intelligent, sober, and 
honest race, who prosper in a country that is lit- 
tle better than a range of rocky mountains ; the 
forests and fisheries only making it possible for 
two millions of people to find support. No more 
than twelve hundred square miles is devoted to 
the cultivation of grain ; about five times that 
area is in valley and upland pasture. 

From the nature of the country, affording so 
many inaccessible retreats for wild beasts, Nor- 



conclusion. 75 

way will long continue to furnish sport for the 
hunter, while every small stream is stocked with 
trouts, and the larger ones are filled with salmon. 
Bears, elk, and reindeer may still be found in suf- 
ficient numbers to reward their chase, while birds 
identical with the Scotch game are everywhere 
plentiful. The right of fishery belongs to the 
proprietors of the banks, but there is no difficulty 
in the stranger obtaining permission to cast a fly. 
Except during the u close season " the sportsman 
may wander over the fields at his own will. 

The most pleasant season for traveling in Nor- 
way is from the middle of June to the middle of 
August, and there is much of the finest scenery 
that can be visited in a tour of a few days from 
either Christiania or Bergen. Stockholm is only 
distant thirty-six hours by rail from the former of 
these cities. 

I have avoided permitting myself to be led into 
any reference to the traditions of Norway, for had 
I been tempted to follow my predilections, the 
little book that I now offer would have grown 
into many large volumes. The " Varanger " of 
Stamboul, the Vikings of coastal Europe, and the 



76 CONCLUSION. 

Normen of France were heroes who furnished 
unfailing subjects for song and story. I will, I 
hope, be pardoned if I now depart from my reso- 
lution, and append a version of the circumstances 
of the death of the most remarkable personage 
that appears in the history of Norway ; a soldier 
of fortune, who was beloved by a queen of the 
East, who was a king by purchase, and who lost 
his life in an attempt to become possessed of the 
English crown : 

THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD-BRIDGE. 

'Tis " Ho! For England. For rich and ruddy England. 
Ho ! For England." With cries the harbor rings. 
Hardrada's fleet is sailing, 
Foredooming woe and wailing, 
And eager for the slaughter the Raven spreads her wings. 

With thrice ten thousand Norsemen, they fill a thousand 
war-ships, 
To follow Harold's banner, " The Waster of the Land." 
The river-mouth is carried, 
Northumbria is harried; 
And then before the walls of York they scatter Morcar'6 
band. 



CONCLUSION, ft 

Five hundred men in hostage will meet the King at 
Stamford. 
At Stamford-bridge Hardrada waits ; his men have 
blade and spear; 
Thej' deem no harm can find them, 
Their byrnies left behind them ; 
Defenseless then thev bow to fate without a warning 
fear. 



But see, from out the westward, that cloud of dust arising ; 
" Here comes no friends, but armed foes," the wily 
Tostig cries ; 
" There Saxon Harold's riding; 
This is no place for biding, 
We '11 seek our byrnies and our ships, in haste, if we be 
wise." 



" We passed the stormy ocean to find this day and meet- 
ing, 
And here we wait to see the end, whatever may be- 
tide. 
We'll make them keep their distance, 
While from our ships assistance 
Shall straight be called — on fleetest steeds our messen- 
gers shall ride." 



7§ CONCLUSION. 

So spake the Northern Harold, and then arrayed his 
spearmen, 
Shield lapping shield, from right to left, they form 

an iron ring. 
Within are placed the bowmen, 
Who first assail the foemen 
As on they come, with gleaming front, led by the En- 
glish King. 



Like lightning come the Saxons, like thunder is their 
charging, 
Their horses' breasts are braced against the well-sup- 
ported shields. 
No break betrays the Norsemen 
As quick they spear the horsemen, 
Who fall before them like the grain when thrall the 
sickle wields. 



Back ride the sullen Saxons, with broken ranks retreat- 
ing. 
Ah ! well for Harold had his men their ardor kept in 
bounds ; 
But when they see them turning, 
With eager courage burning, 
They break the ring and charge the foe like fierce and 
famished hounds. 



CONCLUSION. 79 

And in the front of battle they keep no form or order: 
Each seeks a foeman for his sword, to kill where'er he 
can. 
Ah ! fatal was that sally, 
They strive in vain to rally, 
As on them falls the Saxon horse and slays them man by 
man. 

There strides the fated Harold, his path is strewn with 
corses ; 
He cleaves his way through mailed ranks, deals many 
a deadly blow. 
Oh, Emma, wert thou holding 
Him in thy metal folding, 
That arrow ne'er had pierced his neck that laid Hardrada 
low. 

And yet the Raven banner is waving in defiance, 

Where gather Norway's boldest who fight to save the 
day. 
Then would they turn a. flying 
When Tostig lay a dying, 
But from the ships the Gorcock comes to join the dread- 
ful fray. 

Too late, oh gallant Eystein, you stem the tide of battle. 
On, on the conquering Saxons sweep against the weary 
host. 



80 CONCLUSION. 

Naught now is left but glory, 
Thy bout shall live in story; 
A hundred spears let out thy life, and Norway's field is 
lost. 

Turn from the scene of slaughter, where feed the wolf 
and vulture, 
Where Harold lies unclaimed, unknown, amid his 
heaps of slain, 
There England in thy keeping 
Is cause for Norway's weeping, 
Her bravest sons unburied lie upon thy bloody plain. 

With thrice ten thousand Norsemen they filled a thou- 
sand war-ships, 
To follow Harold's banner, " The Waster of the Land." 
Back now the fleet is sailing, 
And soon there will be wailing, 
But four and twenty ships return with Harold's broken 
band. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



028 121 76014 






§111 

wSmm 









^fc&^?Sron<jKK 



■ 



